What to Do if You Sustain an Injury at Work
You go to work each day and focus on doing your job well. You most likely don’t think about the potential for accidents or injuries to happen. But what do you do if you sustain an injury at work? Before you do anything else, here are the first few actions you should take:
Tell your employer and file a report with your company
Get medical treatment as soon as possible, preferably with an occupational clinician
Document the specific details of the situation from the first day and every day thereafter
Find an experienced attorney to guide you through the accident claim process to deal with any workers’ compensation claim rejections
In an ideal world, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance should at least provide you with necessary medical care and compensation for lost wages. This is not always the case, unfortunately.
What does a legitimate workplace injury look like? There are clear-cut, common injuries, typical conditions that will not qualify for a claim, and an ever-changing gray area of complicated situations. Only a seasoned workers’ compensation attorney like Jim Brady of Attorney Jim Brady and Associates in Walpole, MA. will be able to handle it successfully.
The Most Common Workplace Injuries
The most common workplace accidents are things like burns, slips or falls, vehicle or machinery related accidents, sprains, fractures, or repetitive physical stress accumulated over time. But no matter how common your injury, the rejection of these claims can happen as often as the accidents themselves.
For proper guidance you should contact a lawyer who specializes in handling workers’ compensation claims for proper guidance on how to handle the claim for the injury you sustained at work.
The ins and outs of the system are challenging on a regular day, but dealing with all of the industry lingo and information is taxing when you’re in pain and trying to heal. The insurer is going to ask what they consider necessary questions about your personal life and health history, and this may be upsetting. Many claims get denied and have to be appealed even when it’s clear to you that you’re entitled to compensation. Many self-represented injured employees give up at this point.
To minimize stress, anxiety, and frustration from handling everything yourself, hire a seasoned workers’ compensation lawyer.
They will handle the strategy and paperwork, establish proper medical evidence, negotiate a fair and just settlement, and represent you at your hearing. Your lawyer will keep fighting on your behalf.
What About the Injuries in the “Gray Area”?
There are exceptions to everything, and workplace related injuries are no different. You should always reach out and ask a lawyer whether they think your claim can be taken seriously. One specific area that requires knowledgeable legal strategy is heart attacks.
A common workplace accident that is seen as complicated is a heart attack. Proving that your work was the major cause of your heart attack can be challenging, if not unrealistic. Like all workers' compensation claims, a doctor's opinion that the heart attack is work-related is key to winning the case. You’ll also have to prove that some extraordinary strain during your work day was the trigger and that none of your personal behaviors are the culprit.
The job of your employer’s insurance company will be to say your heart attack was caused by dietary habits, smoking, or your overall physical health, claiming that your personal lifestyle was responsible. Heart attacks can be caused by a number of things. Your attorney’s job is to work with you to establish that your work was a major cause. This greatly increases your chance of recovering the benefits to which you’re entitled.
Jim Brady of Attorneys Jim and Brady & Associates in Walpole, Ma. has handled thousands of personal injury cases and knows the workings of Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury laws. Jim Brady is the co-author of “Workers’ Compensation Practice in Massachusetts” (MCLE). He not only worked in construction, an industry where accidents on the job are common, he wrote the book!
With over 38 years of experience, Jim and his legal team will work tirelessly to get you the rightful compensation you deserve for lost wages, medical bills, workers compensation, and any other type of relief to which you are entitled.
Contact us today.
